Use of children in armed conflict must be banned: HRW

The international humanitarian organisation, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned India to scrap the use of children in hostility works that cause them at the risk of injury and death. This statement of HRW came in a released report in which it alleged the Naxalites- the Maoist armed group, Salwa Judum, an anti-Naxalite armed force, and the Chhattisgarh State Police Department for using children under the age of 18 for the violence and vigilance purpose as against the international law.

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HRW on Friday released a 58-page report: “Dangerous Duty: Children and the Chhattisgarh Conflict,” in which the Human Rights watchdog agency that voices against violations of the basic rights of children and women has alleged that all parties include Chhattisgarh state police have used children in armed and destructive operation.

‘Naxalites, who claim to protect the landless lower cast especially the untouchables from the upper cast and rich land owners, have been using children for killing, burgling and even installing land mines, alleged HRW in the released report.

Censuring State Police action, HRW has stated that police have supported the Salwa Judum, the anti-Naxalite armed forces constituted by local villagers to fight against Naxal attacks, but they have used children in violent attacks as a part of anti-Naxalite campaign.

“A particular horror of the Chhattisgarh conflict is that children are participating in the violence….It is shameful that both Indian government and the Naxalites are exploiting children in such a dangerous fashion,” HRW release said.

The Indian Ministry for Home Affairs had already denied the allegation of HRW reports in July 2008, but its refusal is contradicting to the Chhattisgarh Police and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ (a central government body) acceptance that earlier some children under aged 18 were wrongly recruited as Special Police Officers in the absence of age documentation, but later removed from all types of forces.

On the other hand, HRW that has prepared this report on the basis of over 160 interviews taken from villagers, Salwa Judum camp residents, police, SPOs, and former child Naxalites in Chhattisgarh state claims that some of the villagers and Children have claimed that Salwa Judum and Naxalites both are using children even under 12-year-old in their armed conflict.

Targeting the state administration, HRW said that security forces had even forced some parents to stop sending their children to schools, as they want to use the school premise as training centres for Salwa Judum. HRW also said that nearby 20 such schools were destroyed by the Naxalites to prevent their use for military and Salwa Judum operation.

Moreover, HRW has also targeted Andhra Pradesh state government that is yet to arrange a Hindi-Telugu bridge course for displaced Chhattisgarh children who fled to Andhra fearing violence. As the medium of study in Chhattisgarh is in Hindi against Andhra’s Telugu, there is no effort to bridge that language barrier despite repeated requests. Thus, as a result a large numbers of children have either left the schools or could not pass the examination resulting to more drop out of schools.

Human Rights Watch report has also highlighted the fact that Chhattisgarh police have taken in human action against detained suspected child Naxalites. According to the organisation, children should be treated at par of international law and national juvenile justice standards. Again special rehabilitation measure should also be devised for them.